English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 4: Al-Nisa — Women (Revealed at Madinah: 24 sections, 176 verses)
Section 23 (Verses 4:163–4:171): Previous Revelation and the Quran
Translation:
اِنَّاۤ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡکَ کَمَاۤ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلٰی نُوۡحٍ وَّ النَّبِیّٖنَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہٖ ۚ وَ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلٰۤی اِبۡرٰہِیۡمَ وَ اِسۡمٰعِیۡلَ وَ اِسۡحٰقَ وَ یَعۡقُوۡبَ وَ الۡاَسۡبَاطِ وَ عِیۡسٰی وَ اَیُّوۡبَ وَ یُوۡنُسَ وَ ہٰرُوۡنَ وَ سُلَیۡمٰنَ ۚ وَ اٰتَیۡنَا دَاوٗدَ زَبُوۡرًا ﴿۱۶۳﴾ۚ
4:163 Surely We have revealed to you as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him, and We revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and We gave to David a scripture.
وَ رُسُلًا قَدۡ قَصَصۡنٰہُمۡ عَلَیۡکَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ وَ رُسُلًا لَّمۡ نَقۡصُصۡہُمۡ عَلَیۡکَ ؕ وَ کَلَّمَ اللّٰہُ مُوۡسٰی تَکۡلِیۡمًا ﴿۱۶۴﴾ۚ
4:164 And (We sent) messengers We have mentioned to you before and messengers We have not mentioned to you. And to Moses Allah addressed His word, speaking (to him) —
رُسُلًا مُّبَشِّرِیۡنَ وَ مُنۡذِرِیۡنَ لِئَلَّا یَکُوۡنَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَی اللّٰہِ حُجَّۃٌۢ بَعۡدَ الرُّسُلِ ؕ وَ کَانَ اللّٰہُ عَزِیۡزًا حَکِیۡمًا ﴿۱۶۵﴾
4:165 messengers, bearers of good news1 and warners, so that the people may have no plea against Allah after the (coming of) messengers. And Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.
لٰکِنِ اللّٰہُ یَشۡہَدُ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اِلَیۡکَ اَنۡزَلَہٗ بِعِلۡمِہٖ ۚ وَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ یَشۡہَدُوۡنَ ؕ وَ کَفٰی بِاللّٰہِ شَہِیۡدًا ﴿۱۶۶﴾ؕ
4:166 But Allah bears witness by what He has revealed to you that He has revealed it with His knowledge, and the angels (also) bear witness. And Allah is sufficient as a witness.
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَ صَدُّوۡا عَنۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ قَدۡ ضَلُّوۡا ضَلٰلًۢا بَعِیۡدًا ﴿۱۶۷﴾
4:167 Those who disbelieve and hinder (others) from Allah’s way, they indeed have gone astray, straying far.
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَ ظَلَمُوۡا لَمۡ یَکُنِ اللّٰہُ لِیَغۡفِرَ لَہُمۡ وَ لَا لِیَہۡدِیَہُمۡ طَرِیۡقًا ﴿۱۶۸﴾ۙ
4:168 Those who disbelieve and act unjustly, Allah will never forgive them, nor guide them to a path,
اِلَّا طَرِیۡقَ جَہَنَّمَ خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَاۤ اَبَدًا ؕ وَ کَانَ ذٰلِکَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ یَسِیۡرًا ﴿۱۶۹﴾
4:169 except the path of hell, to abide in it for a long time. And that is easy to Allah.
یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ قَدۡ جَآءَکُمُ الرَّسُوۡلُ بِالۡحَقِّ مِنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ فَاٰمِنُوۡا خَیۡرًا لَّکُمۡ ؕ وَ اِنۡ تَکۡفُرُوۡا فَاِنَّ لِلّٰہِ مَا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ وَ کَانَ اللّٰہُ عَلِیۡمًا حَکِیۡمًا ﴿۱۷۰﴾
4:170 O mankind, the Messenger has indeed come to you with truth from your Lord, so believe, it is better for you. And if you disbelieve, then surely to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. And Allah is ever Knowing, Wise.
یٰۤاَہۡلَ الۡکِتٰبِ لَا تَغۡلُوۡا فِیۡ دِیۡنِکُمۡ وَ لَا تَقُوۡلُوۡا عَلَی اللّٰہِ اِلَّا الۡحَقَّ ؕ اِنَّمَا الۡمَسِیۡحُ عِیۡسَی ابۡنُ مَرۡیَمَ رَسُوۡلُ اللّٰہِ وَ کَلِمَتُہٗ ۚ اَلۡقٰہَاۤ اِلٰی مَرۡیَمَ وَ رُوۡحٌ مِّنۡہُ ۫ فَاٰمِنُوۡا بِاللّٰہِ وَ رُسُلِہٖ ۚ۟ وَ لَا تَقُوۡلُوۡا ثَلٰثَۃٌ ؕ اِنۡتَہُوۡا خَیۡرًا لَّکُمۡ ؕ اِنَّمَا اللّٰہُ اِلٰہٌ وَّاحِدٌ ؕ سُبۡحٰنَہٗۤ اَنۡ یَّکُوۡنَ لَہٗ وَلَدٌ ۘ لَہٗ مَا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ وَ کَفٰی بِاللّٰہِ وَکِیۡلًا ﴿۱۷۱﴾٪
4:171 O People of the Book, do not exaggerate in the matter of your religion nor speak anything about Allah but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only a messenger of Allah and His word2 which He communicated to Mary and a mercy from Him.3 So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, Three.4 Refrain (from it), it is better for you. Allah is only one God. Far be it from His glory to have a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. And sufficient is Allah as having charge of affairs.
Commentary:
- The good news which these messengers brought relates as much to the peace and happiness which is granted to the righteous as to the advent of one who, coming at the end, should unite the qualifications of all the prophets in his own person, and accordingly make the nations of the earth as one nation. ↩︎
- Kalima, or word, is here equivalent to prophecy, in which sense it is frequently used in the Quran. Jesus is called a prophecy because he was born in accordance with a prophecy from God. ↩︎
- Rūḥ also means mercy, as translated here. It also signifies inspiration or Divine revelation, and if this significance is adopted it would be an explanation of the foregoing words, i.e. His prophecy which He communicated to Mary. Even if we take spirit to be the meaning of the word rūḥ, it does not take Jesus beyond the limits of mortality, because according to the Quran the spirit of God is breathed into every human being (32:9). Moreover, the words used here can only mean a spirit from Him and not the spirit from Him. ↩︎
- The doctrine of Trinity is plainly rejected here. There are not three persons in Godhead, but only one: Allah is only one God. The Quran nowhere says that the Christian Trinity is formed of Jesus, Mary, and God, although it no doubt refers to the Roman Catholic doctrine of the worship of Mary in 5:116. ↩︎